Container with pull tab which serves as a seal and drinking surface



Oct. 25, 1966 s. D. COLLIE ETAL 3,281,009 CONTAINER WITH PULL TAB WHICH SERVES AS A SEAL AND DRINKING SURFACE Filed Nov. 2, 1964 I N 'E N TORS S. D. COLLIE BY ALFRED SCHECHTER FIG. 3 We 62% United States Patent CONTAINER WITH PULL TAB WHICH SERVES AS A SEAL AND DRINKING SURFACE Stafford D. Collie, Orangehurg, and Alfred Schechter,

Scarsdale, N.Y., assignors to Phillips Petroleum Company, a corporation of Delaware Filed Nov. 2, 1964, Ser. No. 408,156 2 Claims. (Cl. 22090.6)

This invention relates to thermoplastic containers. In one aspect, it relates to thermoplastic containers designed for the dispensing of milk, juice, and other liquid food products. In another aspect this invention relates to a covering means for a thermoplastic container which is readily openable. Yet another aspect of this invention relates to a novel covering means for a thermoplastic container which may be used as a drinking vehicle in the absence of a straw or the like.

Thermoplastic containers have been used in the past. Some of them have fiat top and bottom walls, which is desirable from the standpoint of handling and particularly the stacking of the filled containers; however, many of the thermoplastic containers or bags heretofore in use have experienced difiiculty in providing a means in the top thereof to make it convenient to drink directly from the container.

In recognition of this deficiency existing in these past thermoplastic containers, the present invention has as one of its objects the provision of a novel thermoplastic container suitable for distribution of milk and other liquid products which has flat top and bottom walls and facility for permitting one to drink directly from the container.

Another object of this invention is to provide a liquid tight thermoplastic container having a drinking edge in one corner of the container to prevent the mouth of one drinking directly therefrom from touching the edge of the container.

Yet another object of this invention is to provide a thermoplastic container having one of its edges truncated to form a drinking edge.

A fiurther object of this invention is to provide a thermoplastic container equipped with a pouring means hinged over the drinking edge.

A still further object of the present invention is to provide a cover means for thermoplastic containers which affords a sanitary closure and dispensing construction.

These and other objects and novel features of my invention will be more clearly and fully set forth in the following specification and claims.

In the drawings forming a part of my specification:

FIGURE 1 is a diametric view of a container;

FIGURE 2 is a diametric view of the lid for the container showing how the tab is hinged thereto;

FIGURE 3 is a diametric view of a container showing the pull tab thereon completely opened to provide a pouring spout over one corner of the container;

FIGURE 4 is a diametn'c view showing another embodiment of the lid;

FIGURE 5 is a diametric view of the lid prior to the tab being positioned thereon.

This invention provides a novel thermoplastic container equipped with a pull tab detachably attached to the lid thereof wherein the tab provides a comfortable drinking surface over one corner of the container when "ice the tab is pulled from the lid to expose an opening therein.

It will be seen in FIGURES 1-5 that the container 1 may be of any suitable or desirable shape and may be provided with side walls 3 and a bottom member 5. The container may be made of any appropriate plastic material. One edge 7 of the side walls is truncated to allow for the hanging of a tab thereover as will be hereinafter described in greater detail. The side walls 3 are flared at their top to provide a lip 9 around the top of the container. This lip is indented above the truncated edge 7 to permit the hanging of a tab 25 to the lid 11 of the container as will be hereinafter more fully describe-d.

The lid 11 also made of any appropriate plastic material is die cut into a shape designed to close the top of the container. Marginal flaps 13 and 15 are defined in one corner of lid 11 by the score line 17. The individual flaps are then separated by cutting or tearing the lid material along a die cut 18 as shown in FIGURE 5. The lid 11 is provided adjacent the one portion of its periphery with a hole 19 of relatively small diameter and with a relatively larger hole 21 on the opposite portion of the periphery in close proximity to the score line 17. The purpose of the opening 19 is to serve as an air vent while the opening 21 serves as the pouring or dispensing opening. In another modification as shown in FIGURE 4, the lid 11 may be provided with an elongated opening 23 which serves as both an air vent and a dispensing opening.

The openings 19 and 21 are covered by a pull tab 25 which is adhered by any suitable means such as heat sealing to the lid 11. The tab is composed of any suitable plastic material. After the pull tab has been fastened to the lid, the flaps 13 and 15 are folded back over the pull tab and sealed to the tab as shown in FIGURE 2.

As Will be apparent to those skilled in the art, when the pull tab is pulled away from the lid 11 to expose the openings 19 and 21, instead of the tab actually being pulled away from the lid of the container it will be caused to bridge the extended lip of the container through the hinged flaps 13 and 15. In this hanging position, the pull tab acts as a conduit for conducting the contents of the container into the mouth of a user. This structure permits a free flow of the fluid to the mouth and at the same time presents a sanitary surface for the lower lip which touches the inner side of the tab rather than the outer edge of the container, which would be the case if the tab were not pulled down over the truncated edge.

Although this invention has been described in considerable detail, such description is intended as being illustrative rather than limiting, since the invention may be variously embodied, and the scope of the invention is to be determined as claimed.

Having thus set forth and disclosed the nature of this invention, what is claimed is:

1. In combination, a container of thermoplastic material having vertical side walls with at least one of the side walls being truncated along one vertical edge thereof, the upper edges of all of which lie in substantially a common horizontal plane; a fiat lid also composed of thermoplastic material being heat sealed to the upper edges of the side walls thereby closing the top of the container, said lid having its corner portion which overlies the truncated vertical edge folded back on a score line and being slit so as to form marginal flaps therein, said lid having at least one pour aperture therethrough; a thermoplastic pull tab overlying said pour aperture and being detachably held to said lid in a closed sealed relationship therewith, said marginal flaps being sealed to one end of said tab whereby the tab is caused to depend down over the truncated edge of the container when it is released from its closed sealed relationship with the lid.

2. The combination of claim 1 said lid having another aperture therethr'ough displaced from said pour aperture and providing a vent aperture which is covered by said tab when it is in its closed sea-led relationship with the lid.

UNITED STATES PATENTS 11/1915 Buffington 2297 11/1953 Norden 2297 4/ 1956 Huntting 2297 1/ 1959 Houghtelling 2297 5/1959 Chevillon 22090.6

FOREIGN PATENTS 6/1932 Germany.

THERON E. CONDON, Primary Examiner.

RAPHAEL H. SCHWARTZ, Examiner. 

1. IN COMBINATION, A CONTAINER OF THERMOPLASTIC MATERIAL HAVING VERTICAL SIDE WALLS WITH AT LEAST ONE OF THE SIDE WALLS BEING TRUNCATED ALONG ONE VERTICAL EDGE THEREOF, THE UPPER EDGES OF ALL OF WHICH LIE IN SUBSTANTIALLY A COMMON HORIZONTAL PLANE; A FLAT LID ALSO COMPOSED OF THERMOPLASTIC MATERIAL BEING HEAT SEALED TO THE UPPER EDGES OF THE SIDE WALLS THEREBY CLOSING THE TOP OF THE CONTAINER, SAID LID HAVING ITS CORNER PORTION WHICH OVERLIES THE TRUNCATED VERTICALL EDGE FOLDED BACK ON A SCORE LINE AND BEING SLIT SO AS TO FORM MARGINALL FLAPS THEREIN, SAID 